Chapter 391: The System’s Compensation

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"So the system can’t just prune them out? Is it too late?" Riven asked while looking at the system notifications.

[Affirmative. These special Dungeons, which were fabricated and created artificially, have already been assimilated into the System Interface and the System Rules. This process cannot be reversed under normal circumstances.]

Riven’s heart sank as he read that message.

The System really couldn’t do a damn thing about them now!

"And what are... abnormal circumstances, then?" Riven asked, still surprised that the system was talking to him directly. "How can you fix this?"

[Unable to find a suitable solution without input and assistance from a System Administrator.]

Riven frowned. That wasn’t quite the answer he had been hoping for, but it wasn’t a complete refusal either. There was someone who could help, or at least someone the system needed before it could do anything. Then why hadn’t it mentioned this from the beginning? Was finding this administrator supposed to be another problem he would have to deal with?

"System Administrator? Are there any?"

[Negative. The Last System Administrator unfortunately died one billion years ago.]

"O-One billion..."

He looked at the message again. One billion years. He hadn’t misread it, and the system hadn’t offered a correction. For a moment, he didn’t even know what to ask next. How was he supposed to find help from someone who had been dead for that long? And if there had been no administrator since then, who had been keeping everything running?

Riven was shaken by this revelation.

Was the system referring to the Precursors?

It was the first possibility that came to mind, but he had no way to be sure. The message only said that the last administrator had died. It didn’t say who they had been, what they could do, or whether anyone could take their place. He wanted to ask about all of it, but another thought interrupted him before he could.

Wasn’t the system being awfully chatty?!

This had never happened before!

He had been so caught up in the answers that he had almost forgotten how strange it was to receive them at all. This wasn’t just a notification telling him something had happened. He was asking questions, and something was actually responding. Could he keep talking? If there was a chance to learn more, he didn’t want to lose it.

"System... Andromeda, are you there? Maybe you could make me or someone else an administrator?"

[Yes. I am an AI assistant that has been monitoring this Dungeon and the surrounding Dungeons.]

[Now that the Dungeon has been taken by the Lord, my purpose here is complete. I shall be reassigned elsewhere within the System Network.]

"Wait, so you’re leaving?" Riven asked. He had only just realized who he was speaking to, and now she was telling him her job was finished? "But what about the administrator thing? Can someone else take their place, or not?"

He wasn’t asking her to solve everything right there. He just needed to know whether there was anything left to try. The Dungeons weren’t going to disappear because the person responsible for watching them had been given another job.

[I have allowed myself a brief moment to explain things further.]

Riven held back his next question. She had stayed to explain when she could have simply left, and he didn’t want to spend whatever time remaining arguing with her. There were still things he didn’t understand, especially about the administrators. But at least now he knew why the system hadn’t fixed the problem on its own. That was something, even if he didn’t like the answer.

"Thank you."

[And regarding your previous question, it is impossible to appoint a new System Administrator under normal circumstances.]

[This can only be done through Ascension.]

He had hoped there might be another way, but apparently, that was asking for too much. Every answer seemed to lead him back to Ascension. At least he knew where he stood now, even if knowing that did not make the situation any less frustrating.

"Hm, so it all comes down to the same thing. Understood. Thank you."

Riven sighed and walked away, only for the system message to reappear.

He stopped and turned his attention back to the message. Was there something else he needed to know? He had already accepted the answer, and he was not particularly interested in hearing the same explanation again. Still, he read on, wondering what the System wanted this time.

[The System has decided to compensate the Lord for the problems caused by its negligence and its failure to detect fake and artificially created Dungeons.]

"Wait, what?"

He read the message again to make sure he had not misunderstood it. The System was actually admitting that it had made a mistake? And it was offering him compensation without him having to ask for it? After everything he had gone through, he had not expected that.

Riven was surprised, but he decided to let the System do whatever it wanted.

[The System has decided to compensate the Lord for his troubles and any future difficulties with a special Upgrade.]

"A special Upgrade?" he wondered. Now that sounded promising. He had been ready to leave with nothing more than an answer to his question, and instead, the System was giving him something else entirely. He wanted to know what it was before he got his hopes up, though.

[We hope that, with this, the Lord can continue conquering Dungeons and unifying them under his Divine Land.]

[The System has great expectations for you and has decided to help you, primarily because it has failed you before.]

[However, please keep in mind that the System cannot pick sides. This is merely compensation for the troubles that almost led to your complete annihilation.]

"Right, compensation. I get it," Riven muttered. He was not going to argue over what the System chose to call it. He had nearly been annihilated, after all. If this Upgrade could help him avoid going through that again, he would gladly take it. There was just one thing he still needed to know. What, exactly, was being upgraded?

"Well, thank you, but what is it that- OH MY GOD."

Riven’s question went unfinished as the new information appeared.

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